Good Roads

The need for good roads has always existed in populous communities. “Improve the roads” seems to be a constant and familiar cry from taxpayers. One hundred years ago, this article showed Bossier Parish's actions to improve roads at that time. It further describes what road maintenance looked like before the advent of paved roads. Articles like this reveal what life was like in the past and how we've progressed.

Bossier-Banner Progress Jan. 27, 1921

“The residents of Bossier Parish are apparently tired of floundering around in the mud and are getting ready to construct good, hard-surface roads from one end of the parish to the other. That much is to be seen as a result of the meeting of the new good roads committee held here Monday, and from the sentiment that led up to the holding of the meeting. Of the twelve members of the committee only one was absent, and it is reassuring to note that all present worked in harmony and expressed themselves as favoring the voting of a mammoth bond issue for the entire parish, the abolishing of all present road districts, the establishment of a parish wide road district, and the taking up of all indebtedness of the present road districts with proceeds out of the new fund.

Roadscraper/grader seen on North Cotton Belt Street, Plain Dealing, La. c 1910s
Bryce Turnley Collection: 1997.062.014

“At the time the road districts were created it was seen that some portions of the parish were not ready for hard-surface roads and the tax to follow. One by one the three districts were brought into existence and the greater portion of the contemplated mileage has long since been undertaken and completed. These roads, of course, are not as yet paid for, but for several years payment has regularly been made on them. Residents of those sections of the parish not in either of the districts will have that advantage in coming into the new proposed district for the entire parish, to say nothing about the past privilege of traveling over the improved roads at will without outlay at all.

Rumely Tractor used for Road Building c 1912-1914. Beulah Findley Collection: 1997.054.120

“The Banner has long advocated good roads and it is a pleasure for the writer to chronicle at this time the ripened sentiment of the people of the parish as a whole that has led up to this movement for better roads throughout the entire parish in as near as possible. Good roads give to a community that essential stamp of progress and prosperity and indicate to all comers an enlightened people. Good roads stand for about everything our churches and schools do not, and they lead up to them.

Road Crew Camp c 1900-1910s.
Scanland Collection: 0000.004.076

“The desire for better roads is not a new sensation here in Bossier Parish. They have been wanted and sought after for a long, long time, but we have not labored in the right direction nor have we wisely spent our road funds. We are told that it has been about thirty-three years since the old system of summoning hands (everybody) to turn out with wagons, plows, axes and other tools to work the roads has been abolished, and since that time from $30,000 to $35,000 has annually been spent on the roads of the parish. If you will stop to figure it out you will find the total a vast sum – something in excess of a million dollars and we have but little to show for it. These are the figures that have set the representative taxpayers of the parish to thinking: and they are coupled with the fact that automobiles demand good roads, going to revolutionize our system of road construction and bring rods of a better type into every populous community of the parish.

“Just now public sentiment seems ripe for such an undertaking as is suggested. The people of the parish are ready for better roads, and they are going to come; and if there are those who are going to oppose the movement because they fear a slight increase in taxes they had better get busy now, if they think they can do anything toward checking the tide of forward thought in this direction – but we think they cannot.”

What do you want to know about Bossier Parish’s history? Visit, call, or email the Bossier Parish Library History Center for help with your research. We are at 2206 Beckett Street, Bossier City, 318-746-7717, history-center@bossierlibrary.org.

By: Amy Robertson

Barksdale Fire Heroics Recounted

Fire at Barksdale Field, 16 Jan 1945. Source: Barksdale's Bark

Barksdale Field, now Barksdale Air Force Base, battled its "worst fire disaster in Barksdale's history" during the winter of 1945. Barksdale personnel detected the fire at 3:03 a.m. on a Tuesday, and it raged on for four hours. Before firefighters could extinguish the fire, it leveled hangars one and two along with two twin-engine airplanes. Firefighters remained on the scene as they continued to apply water to the smoldering embers until 10 a.m.

Barksdale firefighters, soldier volunteers, and two Shreveport crews fought the blaze. Col. Garrison, Lt. Col. Grover Wilcox, and Capt. George Booth organized teams of enlisted men and moved planes and equipment from hangar one. "Col. Wilcox and Capt. Booth entered one ship and manned the controls while volunteer soldiers towed it out on the runway. By the time the men reached the plane, it was partially damaged. Capt. Booth's hands were burned in handling the controls of the plane and Col. Wilcox's clothing was scortched [sic]."

The selfless and quick actions of Pvt. Franklin J. Hines made their efforts possible. He single-handedly manned the fire hose's nozzle while perched on a ladder leaning against the burning building when others were driven away by the intense heat. He kept a steady stream of water along the rescue party's path, making it possible for the men to pull the plane from the fire. Also, making it possible for another group of men to remove several gasoline-filled railroad cars sitting nearby.

Hines remained perched precariously on the ladder until he was driven back by the intense heat and smoke. Then he moved to another sector where he and a crew of men continued fighting the fire. Col. Wilcox and Capt. Booth taxied two planes from the parking area facing the fire while enlisted men towed four other aircraft out of the danger zone. Hines’s section officer Lt. Lucien G. Edwards submitted a commendation letter to the 380th headquarters for his heroic actions.

Hangar 1 after the fire. Source: Barksdale's Bark.

The Base Commander, Col. William B. Wright, Jr., gave a commendation to Maj. Earle K. Knauer, Assistant Chief of the Supply Division, III TAC, "for superior supervision. He had the gasoline tanks removed and expended great effort with a raging fire about him in an effort to extinguish the fire." Capt. Emile Greenleaf, QM supply office, assisted Knauer and also received a commendation.

Master Sgt. James J. Flanagan, Sgt. Maj., 331st Base Unit received a commendation "for issuing orders alerting the Base Headquarters staff, and then proceeded to the fire where he assembled approximately 100 enlisted men to move a heavy gasoline truck from the fire area. He also kept spectators away from the buildings until assisted by MP's."

Tech. Sgt. Seth T. Fritz of III TAC received a commendation for "disregarding his own safety, and in the face of imminent danger of exploding gas tanks, he entered a fiercely burning hangar with a fire hose in order to extinguish flames, holding property loss to a minimum. Col. Wright made special mention of the saving made to the government by his gallant action."

The exploding gasoline tanks shot flames into hangar one's roof shortly after the soldiers had rescued the airplane. "Under the intense heat the 3-inch ceilings sagged 14-feet in great bulges before thy [sic] crashed to the floor, dragging large portions of the concrete and steel walls with them." Another plane was pulled to safety just as the roof and hangar doors collapsed. Fighting a fire is always dangerous, but fighting this fire was made more hazardous by machine gun shells exploding in the fire.

The fire ravaged hangars Barksdale Field Jan. 1945. Source: Barksdale's Bark

The investigation board concluded that an explosion of two gas heaters caused the early morning fire. The heaters were located in the tech supply room of hangars one and two and were in operation when the rooms were closed the night before the early morning fire. Though the heaters were inspected and approved as meeting the Underwriters Laboratories' specifications eight days before the fire, the heaters were, without a doubt, the cause.

Similar heaters in other hangars were removed and replaced with a different type of heating equipment. The concrete slabs where the hangars once stood became a large wash rack—equipped with a large water tank, a solvent solution tank, and pressure hoses. Barksdale used this wash rack to clean B-29s before each 50 and 100-hour inspection and the B-17s 100-hour inspection.

The destroyed airplanes had a value of $758,000, and the hangars had a value of $63,000. The cost would have been far greater without everyone's fast and heroic actions in moving equipment while fighting the fire that night.

By: Amy Robertson

Flying Dog at Barksdale

In the 1940s, there was a newspaper called Barksdale's Bark, which provided Barksdale Field news. On Jan. 23, 1943, the article, "Flying Mascot Has Parachute in Case he has to Bail Out," announced, "Salvo, the only flying dog at Barksdale, has a parachute."

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-3285194/Chocks-away-chaps-s-parachuting-pooches-fond-tribute-dogs-Britain-went-war.html

Salvo was a 4-month-old fox terrier at the time of the article and already had 28 hours in the air. He holds the title of being the first dog in the world to make a solo parachute jump. His first jump was from 1500 feet in the air. He became the number one applicant for the "parapups" battalion at Andrews Field, England, where he was stationed.

According to the article, "Lt. Hugh Fletcher named the pup after its first plane ride. Pilot J.W. Wright had done a few maneuvers and was taxiing in when the crew noticed the little fox terrier was moving unsteadily toward the door. After the B-26 stopped, the billious [sic] pup scrambled out and heaved a mixture of chewing gum, waste paper and candy. It was then Lt. Fletcher decided he should be called 'Salvo.'" (The definition of salvo is a simultaneous discharge of artillery.)

Tech. Sgt. Glen Schultz designed Salvo's parachute out of spare materials. The parachute had a 50-inch canopy with a static line for positive opening if he should have to bail out. When Salvo was to jump, Lt. Fletcher fixed one end of the parachute cord to the plane, and when he jumps and begins to descend, his weight pulled the cord and opened the release mechanism.

Source: Imperial War Museum; Roger Freeman Collection Id: FRE 1184. http://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/907.

Salvo went into action in the European theater when he was just one year old with the honorary rank of 2nd Lt. He was the seventh member of and the mascot for the bombardment crew that flew the B-26 Marauder nicknamed "Jezabelle." He proudly served alongside his owner, 2nd Lt. Hugh R. Fletcher, bombardier navigator; Sgt. A. J. Peloquin, tail gunner; Flight-officer T. E. Anton, co-pilot; and Lt. Joseph W. Wright, pilot; Pvt. H. E. Spencer, radio gunner; Staff Sgt. Jack H. Shock, engineer gunner.

Source: https://www.smithjournal.com.au/blogs/history/3699-britain-s-elite-wwii-dog-paratroopers

Salvo went on five missions and two battle operations over western Europe. By May 1944, he had logged more than 300 hours in the air and had been up as high as 18,000 feet. In addition to his custom-made parachute that snapped onto his harness, he also had a combination gas and oxygen mask that protected him during emergencies and supplied oxygen when flying at high altitudes.

If you are wondering if Salvo had his own "dog tags," the answer is yes. His official serial number was 000000.

In July of 1944, Lt. Fletcher was interviewed while in London, and during the interview, he told of Salvo's bravery and was sad to report that he was, at that time, "missing in action." Before going MIA, Salvo met Duchess, the mascot for another Air Corps crew, and fathered a litter of future heroes.

It appears that Salvo was perhaps reunited with his crew and continued to serve until the war ended. According to Nigel Cawthorne, author of Canine Commandoes, "By May 1945, Salvo had clocked up more than five hundred hours in the air..."

As you can imagine, being the first parachuting dog made Salvo famous around the world. His story, along with pictures of him parachuting, appeared in newspapers throughout the nation. In one Akron, OH newspaper, the article stated that "The fliers say Salvo is chockfull of the stuff that heroes are made of." And a citation that accompanied an award Salvo received asserts, "His sheer doggedness while under fire and his loyalty to Lt. Fletcher and the United States Air Force reflect great credit on himself."

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/Parachute-Animals-4.jpg

To learn more about the history of Barksdale Air Force Base, visit the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center at 2206 Beckett St., Bossier City. Contact us by phone, 318-746-7717, or email, history-center@bossierlibrary.org.

By: Amy Robertson

Plain Dealing School Struck by Lightning

Plain Dealing High School, c1920s. Virginia Crawford Collection: 1998.055.005.

On Jan 6, 1949, the following article appeared in the Plain Dealing Progress. “During an unusual display of Jupiter Pluvius’ wrath on last Monday afternoon at about three o’clock, a direct hit was made by one of his electric bolts on the northwest corner of the primary building, which is a strongly built brick structure erected about 1920.

“Fortunately the children were all inside the building and the jolt, though very severe, did rather minor injury to the building, and most happily resulted in no serious hurt to any of the children or school personnel. The fourth grade room of Mrs. G. H. Crawford, which is directly contiguous to the location of the hit, was the most severely jolted and several of the children were considerably dazed or stunned. Shirley Morgan, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. James Morgan, of the Pleasant Hill community, and Bobby Joe Walker, son of Mr. And Mrs. Henry Walker, of Miller’s Bluff, seem to have received the severest shocks, the former having evidence of a slight burn on the arm. It was exceedingly fortunate for Mrs. Crawford that she was not seated at her desk, which is in the corner of the room directly beneath where the lightning struck.

“Oddly enough, the most tangible evidence of the mighty force of the electrical phenomenon was the fact that both Rev. And Mrs. M. D. Felder, in their parsonage home, some 300 feet from the center of the stroke, received what was apparently direct hits from one of the radiating flaming forks that are usually in evidence on such detonations. Mr. Felder was reading a paper which fell from his hand as his arm dropped limp to his side at the stroke and Mrs. Felder, at the kitchen sink, receiced [sic] a definitely palpable injury to her left side which was still bothering her as late as Wednesday.

“The physical damage to the building was confined to the toppling of several score of bricks from the top corner of the structure and the cracking of quite a few window panes, the exact number of which cannot be ascertained, due to the fact that in 1928, during Plain Dealing’s worst hail storm, over fifty panes then received minor cracks. As may be recalled, very many hail stones practically as large as hen eggs littered the ground and pounded on the windows that afternoon, the same building bearing the brunt of the hail stone barrage.

“It must be said in praise and credit to all the pupils and teachers that though the explosing [sic] and shock was terrific, nothing resembling a panicky situation resulted, even Mrs. Crawford’s pupils allowing her to leave the room to return with a report of the damage, with no ado whatever.

“Other storm damage about Plain Dealing was slight. Some wind, hail and rain, with electrical disturbances most noticeable. Lights were out until 2 a.m. Tuesday.”

That same storm produced a tornado that touched down near Benton, overturning an unoccupied house and damaging several others on Dr. J. H. Wynne's farm. Another larger house nearby was moved several inches on the foundation. The tornado damaged many homes, but there were no injuries, and no lives were lost

By: Amy Robertson

This Month In Bossier Parish History

 January: Though The Years

 Jan.1:  Happy New Year!  Here' s to a new year and new beginnings 

1910’s: The First Presbyterian Church of Plain Dealing was organized on July 26, 1899. The first church building was finished in the latter part of 1900, and on January 1, 1901, the bell rang for its first church service.

1997.062.178 Turnley Collection

 

Oscar and Vay Gardner with their children Barney & Singleton at home at their new sawmill. Vay, Barney, & Singleton Gardner in Plain Dealing, Louisiana at Mrs. Evans' home.

2000.071.101A   Watson Collection

 

19 Nov.1997: Bossier Parish Historical Center Groundbreaking Ceremony.  Ada Myrick,Mike Montgomery, Patti Risinger, Marie Wissman,Rev.James Taylor

1997.127.014

 

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Bossier City location of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza House.

1998.047.253 Bossier Chamber of Commerce Collection

 

Jan.16, 1948: Plain Dealing High School's Future Farmers of America (F.F.A.) and the 4-H Clubs hosted the second annual Forestry Day event. Activities included a speaking program, a forum, free lunch to the public, and the tree planting ceremony.

1948: Future Farmers of America (F.F.A)

1948 Plain Dealing High School yearbook

1948: 4-H Club

1948 Plain Dealing School Yearbook

Jan. 20, 1921: Weekly news from 100 years ago. 

      · Little Garland DeMoss has been ill and his mother was unable to  teach at Nuckolls  school.

Garland DeMoss: first row, third from left to right  

Plain Dealing high school football team of 1929 . front row, left to right, Honley Sears, Eugene Rodgers and  Garland DeMoss; middle row, Burnis Flaghan, Edison Kirklin, Mike  Taylor, T.P. Gould, Buddy Nucolls, Lynwood Fluitt, Clifford New  and Wesley Sentell; back row, Coach Glenn Crawford, Glendon  Morris, Buddy Foster, Boots Oglesby, Ardner Cheshire, Milton  Foster, "Fast" Gleason, Odell Anderson, Dixon Barnett, Marcus Wingate, and F.G. Phillips.

     · Robert Vance (R.V.) Kerr has been elected Superintendent for Bossier Parish Schools.

 

1950: Haughton High School Yearbook

     

    · Time to plant the early gardens

 

1910-1920’s: Mabel Scanland hoeing in yard

0000.004.033   Scanland Collection

 

Jan.26: Happy National Spouses Day!

Mid. 1880’s:  George Washington Arnold and Salina K. Sims Arnold of Benton

McKim Collection

C.1880’s: William Walter Oglesby and his wife, Janie DeMoss

1998.044.001 Rich Collection

 

1929: Zack and Zena Gardner.  Plain Dealing, La.

1998.079.002
Gardner Collection